Obersaxen - Safiental

Snowpack

In Lower Valais, northern Valais and the Bernese Oberland, there is as much snow at high altitudes as usual for this time of year, but less in the other regions. There is particularly little snow on the southern flank of the Alps and at intermediate altitudes on the eastern part of the northern flank of the Alps. At 2000 m, there is 30 to 50 cm of snow on the northern flank of the Alps, 10 to 30 cm in southern Lower Valais, northern Upper Valais, the Gotthard region and northern and central Grisons, and less than 10 cm elsewhere.

Weak layers in the snowpack are located in particular on northern and eastern slopes above approximately 2400 m. Particularly in southern Valais and in some parts of the inneralpine regions of Grisons, human activity can cause these layers to fracture and trigger avalanches.

Below approximately 2400 m, the snowpack is moist under the mostly brittle melt-freeze crust; below approximately 2100 m, it is saturated. Isolated wet and gliding avalanches are possible with the sunshine and rising temperatures during the daytime.

Weather forecast to Saturday

It will be sunny and mild with light winds in the mountains.

Fresh snow

-

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, around +5 °C

Wind

There will be mostly light southwesterly winds.

Weather review for Friday

It was mostly sunny in the mountains.

Fresh snow

-

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between around +6 °C in the west and +4 °C in the east

Wind

Light to moderate from the west, decreasing during the course of the day

Outlook

On Sunday and Monday it will be mostly sunny in the mountains. Clouds will set in from the southwest on Monday afternoon. The southwesterly wind will remain light on Sunday, but will freshen appreciably on Monday. It will remain mild.

The danger of dry avalanches will continue to slowly decrease. In regions with persistent weak layers in particular, persons can still trigger avalanches in places.

The danger of wet and gliding avalanches will increase slightly during the day with the sunshine and rising temperatures.